Lighting equipment



Dec. 4, 1951 w, BURKHART 2,576,920

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 21, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR. F767 IILUAM L BURKHART ATTORNEY Dec. 4, 1951 w. L. BURKHART 2,576,920

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 21, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. WLU M L. BURKHART ATTOPNE Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHTING EQUIPMENT 9 William L. Burkhart, Long Beach, Calif.

Application January 21, 1948, Serial No. 3,470

This invention relates to a lighting equipment adapted to be mounted in close relation to a device, such as a book, writing pad or telephone dial, to project light rays thereon, whereby use, inspection or examination of the device is facilitated. The equipment is adapted for use where these devices are so located that adequate lighting equipment is not or cannot be provided. Theequipment, for .exemplification purposes, is shown mounted on a standard dial type of telephone .and constructed to simultaneously transmit or project light rays on the telephone .dial .and through 'a section of transparent or semi-transparent material carrying certain data, information or advertisement for the user to observe.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved lighting equipment having a light source and adapted to direct light rays from the source on a device to be :used or examined and simultaneously diffuse or transmit other light rays through walls of the equipment, whereby indicia associated therewith may be observed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved lighting equipment consisting of a casing enclosing a source of light, the wall being formed with a window to permit passage therethrough of light rays to light a device to be used or examined and a portion of the casing wall being formed of light transmitting material,

served.

.A further object of the invention consists in the provision of certain improvements in the iorm of construction shown in Letters Patent No. 2,259,148 granted to me on October 1i, 1 .341.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the .art to which my invention relates 'from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a telephone and a lighting equipment embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

7 Claims. (Cl. 40132) Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the line 4-4 and 55, respectively, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view on the lin I--1 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view showing the various parts in perspective.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 10 showing a different embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a section on the line I 0Ifl of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a section on the line I l--I I of Fig. 10.

In the drawings, 1 indicates as an entirety a telephone comprising a base 2 having an upwardly projecting body portion 3 provided with front and rear pairs of spaced arms 4, 4'.

The arms 4, 4', form a cradle for the central portion of a receiver and transmitter indicated as an entirety at 5, the weight of which when positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, depresses a pin or pair of pins to disconnect the circuit from the receiver and transmitter 5. The front wall of the body portion 3 is inclined upwardly and supports a dial 1 which carries the indicating characters or groups of characters and a rotatable disk 8 spaced from the dial I. The disk '8 is formed with openings 8 normally disposed-in operative relation to the characters, respectively, which openings serve as the means to rotate the disk 8 in making a telephone call to another telephone.

9 indicates as an entirety a lighting equipment comprising an elongated casing I0 provided with attaching means II removably engaging the front pair of arms 4. The elongated casing is of a'size to accommodate a battery I2 and a light bulb I3, the latter being preferably disposed midway the ends of the casing Ill. The casing Ill consists of an inner or main section Illa of curvilinear cross section having end walls I 0b and preferably integrally connected to the attaching means -I I and an outer section I0c of curvilinear shape in cross section detachably connected to the main section Illa and engaging the end walls .i'iib at its opposite ends. The curvilinear wall and end walls I61) forming the section We are opaque and preferably formed of a suitable plastic material. The outer section I 00 is formed of a material which is transparent or semitransparent and capable of transmitting or conducting light .or light rays, such material consisting of methyl methacrylate resin, cellulose acetate .or cellulose acetate butyrate, whereby the light rays emitted by the bulb I3 will be transmitted throughout the area of the section Inc .and through its wall (due to its transpar! the disk 8 and dial '5, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be observed (a) that the bottom, sides and end walls formin the section Illa are formed of opaque material and only the remaining wall portion of the casing IE3 (that is, the section Illc) is formed of transparent, light transmitting material and (b) that the section I lo extends transversely throughout its length around and to the under side of the glass sphere of the bulb I3 to provide a maximum area of transparent 'material and to be in line with a maximum number of light rays.

The section Illc is removably connected to the section Illa to close the casing I!) as follows: the end wal s In!) are cut away as shown at IEld (see Fig. 8) to form seats for the opposite ends of the section Iflc, whereas the op osite longitudinal edges of the section I do are shaped to provide inwardly extending shoulders IM (see Figs. 5 and 8), which seat in grooves Illf formed in and extending longitudinally of the section Illa adjacent to but inwardly of its opposite side edges. As the section Ilia is s i htly resilient, its side portions may be relatively expanded to assemble it in position, or detach it from the section Illa to get access to the parts in the latter.

The battery I2 preferably consists of two dry ce ls [2a, IZb, seated in the main casing section Illa in axial relation at opposite sides of the bulb I3. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the inner wall of the section Illa is of arcuate shape, having a radius substantially canal to that of the exterior walls of the battery cells I2. Each cell I211, IE1), is detachably secured in its seat by retaining elements I5 integral y formed on the inner wall of the section Illa and engaging the opposite outer side portions of the adjacent cell I2. When positioning a cell in its seat, it is pressed inwardly past the elements I5, the side portions of the section Illa being capable of yielding or expanding-due to the resiliency thereof-40 permit the cell to be bodily moved into seating position or removed therefrom.

The base of the bulb I3 is threaded into a socket I6 extending through and suitably secured to the walls of an opening formed in a metal plate I! formed'of slightly resilient current conducting material, such as copper. The opposite side edges of the plate I! fit into elongated recesses IS formed in the inner wall of the section Illa. The plate I! has a width slightly' greater than that of the space between those opposed portions of the inner wall 'in which the recesses I8 are formed, whereby the walls of the recesses form seats for the plate edges to support it. The resiliency of the wall of the section IOa permitting its side portions to expand, provides for the positioning of the plate I! in the section IIla'or its removal therefrom.

- The bulb I3 is supplied with current from the battery cells I 2a, I2b, by leads, which form a circuit adapted to be closed by a switch IS, the leads being preferably formed of sections of flat, relatively thin resilient copper strips connected together and preferably arranged as follows (see Figs. 3, 6 and 8): lead section 20 is suitably fixed at one end to the plate I'I and engages the contact on the adjacent end wall of the cell I2a; section 2! engages the opposite end wall of the cell I2a and extends inwardly longitudinally of the casing section Illa to section 22, which extends around the adjacent battery cell and is connected to switch contact I9a normally disengaged from switch contact I9b; section 23 extends from switch contact 19b around the adjacent cell I2b to section 24, which extends outwardly longitudinally of the casing section Illa, its outer end engaging the contact on the outer end of cell I21); and one end of section 25 engages the'inner end of the cell I21) and its opposite end engages the contact or terminal I3a provided on the base of the bulb I3. The inner Walls of the casing section Illa are formed with recesses 2%, 26a, to receive the lead sections and each of the terminating'ends of these lead sections, which engage the contacts and end walls of the cells I2a, I2b, is bent back on'itself to provide a spring pressure terminal 21 for engagement with the adjacent contact surface. When the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 3,'the pressure exerted by the terminals 21 between the cells lZa, I21), and inner walls of the casing section Illa serves to maintain the lead sections in their respective recesses 26, 26a. The switch contact Isa is operated into engagement with the contact l9b to close the circuit and light the bulb I3 by a button 28. The button 28 consists of a plate 28a provided on its inner face with an elongated wall 281) having along its lower edge a flange 28c spaced from the inner face of the plate 28a to form a guide slidably fitting the side edge of a cut-away 29 formed in the rear side portion of the section Illa. The end walls of the cut-away 29 serve to limit the travel of the button 28. The button 28 is shown in normal or circuit open position in Fig. 6; when the button 28 is moved to the right, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, the wall 281) engages the switch contact [9a and swings it into engagement with the contact [9?) to close the cir} cuit and light the bulb. When the button 28 is moved to the left, the contact I9adue to its resiliencydisengages the contact I9b to open the circuit. The plate 28a extends beyond the wall 28b on all sides thereof so as to close the opening formed by the cut-away 29 in either position of the button. c

The attaching means II preferably consist of arms a extending outwardly from the casing section Illa preferably co-incidentally with the major axis of the casing l0 and terminating in lateral extensions Ilb adapted to engage the front and top wall of body portion 3. Each extension Ilb consists of a front depending wall lie and a rearwardly extending horizontal wall IId formed with an elongated opening IIe open at' its outer end and adapted to fit over one of the arms 4, as shownin Figs. 1, 2 and 4L When the attaching means II are mounted as shown,

the walls IId rest on the top wall'of the body portion 3 and the wall He engages thefront wall thereof to support the casing I 0 in'position. The openings IIe are elongated and open at their outer ends so as to accommodate arms 4, '4, which may be differently spaced, or of differentwidths.

The transparent, light diffusing or transmitting rwall provides a' means of supporting or carrying certain information, such as telephone numbers, a slogan (A Merry Xmas and the like) or an advertisement as shown, which indicia may be clearly observed when the bulb I3 is lightedveither in daytime or otherwise. The indicia may be permanently applied to the inner or outer surface of the section ltc, in which arrangement the letters or numbers constituting the indicla may be formed from an opaque material, but by preference I removably mount within the casing section Iiic a sheet of transparent material 30 on which the desired indicia is written, typed, stamped or printed. The material 30 may be molded into a curvilinear shape to fit the inner or outer wall of the section Hlc or consist of a section of material having a limited resiliency. The section of material, when applied to the inner wall of the section lilo, pref erably has a width equal to that of the inner surface of the section between the shoulders Ille thereon. As the opposite ends of the section Hlc are open, when detached from the section Hla, it will be observed that the section of material may be readily slid or telescoped endwise of the section lilo into position or removed therefrom.

Referring to Figs. 9, l0 and 11, 3| indicates an elongated casing consisting of an inner or main section 3la having end walls 3Ib and outer section 3|c formed of transparent, light diffusing material, such as herein referred to. The casing 31 is supported similarly to the casing 10. The casing section 3la is shaped to provide intermediate its ends a rearwardly extending off-set 31d the top and bottom Walls of which support a plate 32 formed of conducting material, which plate .in turn supports a light bulb 33. 34 indicates the battery cells at either side of the bulb 33. In this form of construction the wall of the section 310 adjacent to the bulb 33 is thickened, as shown at 35, the inner side of the wall portion 35 being of concave shape so as to fit over a large portion of the bulb surface. In this form of construction, the section of transparent material, indicated at 36, carrying the indicia to be observed is of curvilinear shape in cross section so as to removably fit the outer surface of the section file. The adjoining edges of the sections 31a, 3|c, are cut away to form an opening 31 in which a push-button 38 is mounted and adapted to close the switch 39 when the bulb 33 is to be lighted.

It will be noted that my construction of lighting equipment is a self-contained unit and may, at will, be readily mounted in position and removed without the employment of tools or adjustment of a screw or unit; also, it is mounted in the area outwardly of the cradle for the receiver and transmitter and above the dialing member 8, so that removal and replacement of the receiver and transmitter and operation of the dial member are not interfered with.

To those skilled in the art to which my invention relates many changes in construction and widely different embodiments and applications of the invention will be apparent without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. My disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

What I claim is:

1. A lighting equipment adapted to be mounted on a support to illuminate a portion thereof and comprising an elongated casing consisting of an inner section formed of opaque material and provided with means for engaging the support and having bottom, side and end walls and an-outer section of arcuate shape in cross section and formed of light-transmitting.material, the opposite ends of said outer section being in seating relation-to said end walls and the opposite longitudinal side edges of said outer section and the respective corresponding longitudinal side edges of the side walls of said inner section being pro vided with detachable, complementary interlocking unitary means to removably connect said sections together, electrical illuminating means within said casing and arranged to support a light bulb intermediate the ends of the latter, that side of said casing adjacent the portion of the support to be illuminated, intermediate the ends of said casing, being formed with a window through which light rays emitted by the bulb are projected, a light-modifying medium removably disposed within said casing between said outer section and the bulb, and manipulatable means on the remote side of said casin for controlling said illuminating means to light the bulb.

2. An equipment as claimed in claim 1 hereof wherein said support-engaging means consists of arms fixed to said inner section and extending laterally therefrom and terminating in support engaging members each formed with an opening open at one end.

3. An equipment as claimed in claim 1 hereof wherein said light-modifying medium is mounted face-to-face upon the inner surface of said outer section.

4. A lighting equipment adapted to be mounted upon a support to illuminate a portion thereof and comprising an elongated casing consisting of an inner section formed of opaque resilient material and having a curvilinear bottom Wall, diverging side walls and end walls and an outer section formed of transparent material of arcuate shape in cross section and removably engaged along its opposite side and end edges with the side edges of said side walls and said end walls, a light bulb, means for supporting said bulb in said inner section intermediate the ends thereof,

a battery cells in said inner section at opposite sides of said bulb, the inner surface of the bottom wall of said inner section at each side of said bulb having a radius equal to that of the adjacent cell to provide a seat therefor and said side walls being provided with transversely inwardly projecting elements arranged to engage the sides of the adjacent cells to secure them in their seats, an electrical circuit between said cells and said bulb, a switch in said circuit, that side of said casing adjacent the portion of the support to be illuminated being formed intermediate its ends with a window through which light rays emitted by said bulb are projected, a section of indicia-bearing transparent material mounted face-to-face upon one surface of said outer section, a device slidably supported on the opposed edges between said sections at that side of said casing remote from said window for operating said switch, and means on said inner casing section for detachably supporting it on the support.

5. A lighting equipment adapted to be mounted upon a support to illuminate a portion thereof and comprising an elongated casing consisting of an inner section formed of opaque material and. provided with means for engaging the support and having bottom and side walls and end walls provided with arcuate terminating ends recessed on their inner faces adjacent the peripheral edges of said end walls to form seats and an outer section formed of transparent resilient material, the opposite ends of said outer section fitting within said seats and the opposite longitudinal side edges of said outer section and the respective corresponding longitudinal side edges of the side walls of said inner section being provided from end to end of said edges with detachable unitary means of interlocking connection so as to removably connect said sections together, electrical illuminating means within said casing and arranged to support a light bulb intermediate the ends of the latter, that side of said casing adjacent the portion of the support to be illuminated, intermediate the ends of said casing, being formed with a window through which light rays emitted by the bulb are projected, the marginal side edges of the outer section and side wall of the inner section remote from said window being cut away longitudinally of said edges, and manipulatable means on the bottom walls of said cutaways and arranged to control said illuminating means to light the bulb.

.3 6. An equipment as claimed in claim 4 hereof wherein the electric circuit consists of leads formed of resilient conductor material portions ofwhich engage the opposite ends of said cells to maintain them in position to supply current to the circuit.

7. A lighting equipment adapted to be mounted upon a support to illuminate a portion thereof and comprising an elongated casing of substantially egg-shape in transverse cross-section and consisting of an approximate one-half transverse section of opaque material along the smaller part thereof and an approximate one-half transverse section of transparent material along the larger part thereof, means for mounting said casing upon its support at an angle so as to have the socket, an electric circuit and manually manipulatable switch for controlling the lighting of said bulb, and an indicia-bearing transparent medium removably mounted between said light bulb and transparent material, whereby there may be obtained simultaneously an illumination of the support below the light bulb and also a visible display through the upper part of said casing.

WILLIAM L. BURKHART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,799,545 Chase Apr. 7, 1931 1,997,687 Hoegger Apr. 16, 1935 2,020,016 Brusseau Nov. 5, 1935 2,118,777 Hammer May 24, 1938 2,183,647 Holden Dec. 19, 1939 2,195,423 Powell Apr. 2, 1940 2,258,541 Cressaty Oct. 7, 1941 2,259,148 Burkhart Oct. 14, 1941 2,299,148 Johnson Oct. 20, 1942 2,347,665 1944 Christensen et al. May 2, 

